We All Fall Down
by Monochrome Masquerade
Summary: Professor Membrane is dead, Gaz has been kidnapped by Zim and Dib has inherited Membrane Labs. ZAGR and DATR. Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

On a bright and sunny day, somewhere in the near future, there is a terrible tragedy. This is not the kind of day something this terrible should happen. On this day, there is a certain purple-haired teenager, all alone in an alleyway. She sits on top of a trash bin, the haunting images of her father's death parading through her mind. She never liked the way she treated him, it was always as if he didn't give a crap about what became of her and her brother.

Yet, she never willed for something this terrible to happen.

As tears stream down her face, out of the corner of her eye she sees ambulances still rushing to save her famous father. _No, no… _she thought, the gory images still haunting her memory, "_how the hell could I let this happen? How could I be so stupid? I've caused all this panic, all this pain… I don't deserve to live… Dad was a famous scientist. Everybody loved him… I've let them all down…_

Then she heard a scream from down the street. _Dear God… _Gaz thought. _Doesn't he know when to take a break?_

Right on cue, a certain boy with a "skin condition" came running past the alley, tailed by none other but Dib. Gaz leaped off of the trash bin and shoved Dib, knocking him down onto the pavement. "DON'T YOU KNOW WHEN TO STOP?" She yowled at him above the sounds of the city. "Gaz! You just let him get away!" Dib complained, referring to the Irken that had just disappeared from sight.

"That's so you, Dib," Gaz spat to her older brother, "No matter what tragedy has happened, so just won't quit chasing stupid Zim!"

"What's wrong, Gaz?" Dib said, shoving her off of him and standing up. "What's with you **this **time?"

"What do you mean, **this time?** What are you doing all day, shoving your head under a rock?" She didn't wait for Dib to answer. "Dad is DEAD, Dib. You don't know because you can't just quit chasing Zim for once. He's dead, and it's all my fault," Gaz said, tears streaming down her face. Dib stared at her with a shocked expression on his face, tears welling up in his eyes. "Gaz, I didn't know," he said shakily.

"Of course you didn't know! You NEVER know! You're always too busy contributing to a lost cause. Give it up, Dib. No one will ever believe Zim's an alien, "She said, fuming. With that she turned and ran away, tears still dripping from her face. Dib attempted to grab her by the shoulder, but due to the fact that she had just pretty much destroyed his glasses, he grabbed her necklace. It broke, and clattered to the ground as she disappeared from sight. Dib bent down and picked up the skull shaped necklace, clutching it in his palm.

"Gaz-human?" Zim said as Gaz ran past him. "SHUT THE HELL UP, ZIM!" She screamed as she sped away. After a brief argument in his head, Zim decided to attempt to help her. His robo-legs extended from his PAK, and enabled him to run faster than her. He caught up to her quickly, grabbing her by both shoulders and spinning her around to face him. Gaz struggled, but Zim had a death grip on her shoulders.

"What do you want?" she muttered at Zim.

"I want to know why you saved me from the Dib-stink."

"Save? Who?"

"You tackled him when he was about to disable my PAK."

"Oh, well, ummmm…" Gaz started to blush. She had to admit, although she hadn't the slightest idea that Dib was trying to kill him, Zim was quite the attractive Irken…

Without waiting for an answer, Zim turned around and carried her back to his base.

"What's all this about, Zim?" Gaz asked upon arrival at Zim's house. Zim didn't answer. He just opened the door, and a little green "dog" came rushing to the door, with a big plate of pancakes.

"MASTA! MASTA! LOOK AT THESE! THEY EVEN BETTER THAN WAFFLES!" GIR shoved the plate into Zim's face. "TRY SOME! TRYYYY SOME!" Zim shoved the plate away. "No, GIR. Go watch TV." GIR started screaming.

"It's not working, GIR." Gaz grumbled. "GAZZY!" He screamed, latching on to Gaz's leg. "Get the eff off of me!" She growled at him, shaking her leg around. GIR let go and ran off towards the couch.

"Once again, Zim," Gaz said "What are we doing here?"

"How do you feel about me?"

"Well, right now, I feel that you're INSANELY annoying."

"Quit it with the insults, Gaz. You're making my mind act funny. I can't get you out of my head. You're in all of my dreams, and I love you immensely. I say it again, how do you feel about ZIM?"

Gaz stopped to think. "Well…" she started, staring at Zim's crimson eyes. Without waiting for a full answer to come to her mind, she struggled to try and get out of Zim's arms. Zim just gripped her tighter. "Tell me!" He barked. Gaz's amber eyes widened as he leaned in to kiss her.

_**SMACK!**_

Zim stumbled away, a pink handprint visible on his face. "What was THAT all about!" She screeched at him.

"You CREEP!" She screamed at him half-heartedly. This was partly because she was worn out from the depressing day, but half of her felt the same way about Zim. She growled to herself and shook her head, to clear all the thoughts that weren't about her escaping. Zim stood, rubbing his face where she had smacked him. _Now your chance!_ Gaz thought. _Run!_ Gaz made a mad dash for the doorway, but Zim was quicker. He blocked the door and advanced towards her as a sadistic smile crossed his face…


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the views, guys. It means alot. The time for continuation is... **_NOW!_**

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What happened next was a blur of events, none of which Gaz could remember by the time she woke up. _What the…?_ Was her first thought when she woke up in the underground portion of Zim's base. She looked down at her hands, and proceeded to check to see if she was physically alright. No broken bones, just a few bruises. She finally looked up to see that she was in a giant magenta-and-purple room. On the wall right in front of her was a balcony, occupied by none other by Zim.

"What am I doing here, Zim?" Gaz queried. "Oh, nothing…" Zim said innocently, looking around and whistling. Gaz remembered that her necklace had snapped when she ran away from Dib… so… _What's this around my neck?_ She slowly lifted her hands to her neck, semi-scared to find out what it was. It was cold and metal.

"Okay, Zim, quit being cute about it," she snapped. "Why are we in your base, why can't I remember anything but arriving here last night, and what is this around my neck?"

Zim looked at her, his face twisted with obvious amusement. "Well, I wouldn't want to lose you, little Gaz, would I?" He jumped off of the balcony and advanced towards her. "After all, you are mine now…" He was so close now, Gaz swore she could hear his heart beat. She raised his hand to deliver a slap to his face, but it froze right before it hit him. "What the…" she mumbled.

"Oh that?" Zim said, poking her frozen hand. "That is, in a nutshell, what your collar does. It prevents you from hurting me in any way, from escaping, from getting help, etcetera, etcetera…" Gaz's face reddened. "What the hell? You freak! I'm not some kind of slave for you!" She screeched at him. "Oh, of course not…" Zim said, with teasing in his voice. Gaz decided to try and kick him, and see how that went.

"OH MY EFFIN' GOD!" She said, grasping her leg and hissing in pain. "Now, **that's** what will happen if you ever try to harm Zim again," Zim said, looking down at her with a sadistic grin. "What the heck did your retarded controller-thingy do to my leg?" She gasped at him, still grasping her lower leg. "Oh, nothing," Zim said, "It's just pain, as your punishment…" Gaz rolled her eyes. "And **this** is what you call love?"

"No, Gaz, it just happens to be the only way I'll get you."

"You're not going to –get me-, Zim. I'm not going to give in."

"I'm afraid there's nothing you can do about it."

"You don't know how long I can resist."

"I do know I can control you through the 'retarded collar-thingy', as you call it."

"What do you want from me?"

"Nothing much. I just want **you**."

With that, Zim quickly leaned in to kiss her. Gaz tried to push him away, but there wasn't much she could do about it now. It seemed as though the harder she struggled, the more hopeless it all got. Suddenly, Gaz heard a little-girlish giggle. Her eyes widened as she saw GIR standing behind Zim, with a camera. He was snapping photos and giggling all the while. She tried to get away, but Zim (A/N: Who is totally unaware that GIR is about to sell photos of him and Gaz making out… xD) kept on crushing his lips against hers.

"Imma auction these on eBay!" GIR said, still laughing. He ran away, bellowing with robotic laughter, with all the photos in his hands. _Oh well…_ Gaz thought. _I guess some demented robot is the least of my problems right now._

Thankfully, GIR's screaming finally got Zim off of her. "**GIR!**" He yowled after him. "What are you selling on this… this... **eBay **you speak of!" Zim seemed to have Gaz off his mind for that moment, for he was now chasing GIR around the upstairs portion of the base, trying to snag the photos. "Finally," Gaz muttered. "Some alone time."

Gaz put her head in her arms and shut her eyes, trying to figure this whirlwind out. _Zim… what's he doing? He __**hates**__ my brother… why the hell is he so attracted to me all of the sudden? Could he come into my life at a worse time? Dammit, he used to be __**afraid **__of me. Where did that feeling go? Where's Dib when I need him? He's a complete moron, sure, but has he given up? Does he not__** care**__ that his worst enemy is trying to rape his little sister?_ That last thought made Gaz shudder. _What if he… hates me? I never told him how Dad died… but I'm guessing he got the image I killed him. _Tears started to slowly fall down Gaz's face. _I __**did **__kill him. Not on purpose… but… no… Gaz, quit thinking about that. You need to get out of here. You __**can't **__let Zim do this to you. You can't do this to __**yourself**__._

"Gaz-human?" Zim's cracking voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Go… away… Zim…" she growled at him. "What's the matter?" He asked, actually sounding sincere. "I said, **go away**. This is none of your business." Zim put both hands on her shoulders, and gently spun her around. "I said, what is the matter? There's obviously something wrong, otherwise you wouldn't be crying and muttering to yourself."

Gaz finally gave in and buried her head in Zim's shoulder. "I… I killed my own father. Dib's probably pissed about it and that's why he hasn't tried to rescue me yet. I bet everybody in the universe hates me now. I don't deserve to even live. I guess… I guess you can have me now. None of this is going to make a difference anymore." Zim embraced her in a hug. "Why do you need rescuing from Zim?"

"Well, Zim, you're hardly romantic. You've definitely got a bad rap with Dib. He's kind of the heir to Membrane Labs, so I wouldn't be surprised if people start to believe him for once. He'll expose the existence of the Irken race to everybody, and before you know it, everyone hates **you**, too. Then they'll definitely see you as some sort of monster… someone who does something like kidnap teenage girls." She spat the last words out with venom. "Do you want to be rescued?" Zim said, his voice shaking. Gaz gave way to all her feelings. "No…" she said softly. "Not at all."

After a long moment of silence, Zim finally said, "If you don't mind my asking, what happened to your father?" Gaz's head started to reel. She could hardly think of her monstrous deed without having a major mental breakdown. "Well…" she started quietly. _How am I going to explain this? _Gaz thought. _What if he thinks I'm some sort of monster?_ "I… I can't tell you." She decided. "It's… it's just too soon. I'm sorry… I can hardly think about it without bursting into tears." Zim's eyes started to fill with concern. "It's okay," he said, hugging her tighter. "Just remember… I'll be here, even if the rest of the world isn't. You're beautiful, Gaz. No one can stop that. Maybe everyone **does** hate you now, as you say. But you have to remember: **I**will still love you. No one's going to change that."

"Um, Zim?" Gaz said after a while. "If Dib is inheriting Membrane Labs, no doubt he'll be turning it into some paranormal institute. He knows you're Irken, Zim. You'll be the first person he looks to capture. People are stupid. They'll believe him just because he's Professor Membrane's successor. You may have a bounty over your head."

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_ Author's note:_ *dramatic music plays* Damn, things move fast in their universe. Reviews, please? ^_^


	3. Chapter 3

_Yo, peepsies! After months in hiding, here it is- part three of We All Fall Down! _

_WARNING: THIS CHAPTER REVOLVES ENTIRELY AROUND THE DIB AND HIS MANY MISERIES. DON'T READ IF...WAIT, YOU SHOULD READ IT, 'CAUSE I LIKE DIB._

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Stargazing.

What a wonderful pass time, no?

It seems that for once, everything's okay. That all of your problems have disappeared, and that you can just drift off into oblivion without a care in the world.

What a shame that it's not that way in reality. What a goddamn shame.

We all have too many problems. Way too many problems for the night sky to work it's magic.

Dib Membrane, for example, couldn't be cured by the stars. His troubles were far from being lifted. He hadn't talked to any living being a few days. Of course, it's not like anyone would ever want to talk to him. Maybe his misery was doing the world a favor. The two people in his life that meant the most to him were gone. His father was dead, and his sister was as good as dead.

Maybe she was dead.

Dib would definitely not put it past Zim to kill her. But, Gaz could take care of herself just fine. She probably ripped off his balls and stapled them to his forehead, right?

"Probably not," Dib muttered aloud, remembering how big of a mess his sister was when he last saw how she wasn't that upset when their mother died.  
In fact, Gaz didn't seem to be affected much by her mother's death at all.

Gaz was always the dark and antisocial type. It never changed. Ever. She just buried her face in that game of hers and ignored everyone. That way, she was never hurt.

What a wonderful way to live.

Dib started tapping at the keys of his laptop, wanting to write, but not knowing how to start. How was he to get his feelings out when it felt so...awkward? Goddammit, it was getting so he couldn't even tell his feelings to a friggin' machine. Had he really been lonely for that long? Last time he trusted someone was...seven years ago. Seven...long...years ago. Back in fifth grade. When _she_ came. It was like _she_ was the first person to ever understand him. Of course it was all a masquerade by the end.

Why'd it have to be a lie?

Couldn't he just, for once in his life, have something go his way? Dib started going through the files in his computer, at loss for something else to do. Most of his photos were just drawings and pixel patterns he had created in his spare time, but he found something else. It was a folder of one of the only occasions he had ever bothered to keep photos. It was from a photo booth, at the mall.

From what he had considered to be the best day of his life.

Even _better_ than the day he took down that Santa-monster.

The time he hung out with Tak, during her brief stay on Earth.

In the photos, they were both laughing and smiling, looking like they were having the time of their bad it was just another way someone had used him.

"Get over yourself, man," Dib said aloud to himself. "She's probably dead, too."

Despite what he told himself, Dib was far from getting over her. He didn't WANT to get over her, to erase all his memories of any time spent with , the scanned pictures had Dib in tears, so he closed the tab and opened up his e-mail instead.

It was filled with spam, as always. From here to there, there was something from the Swollen Eyeballs, but Dib wasn't in the mood for anything to have to do with the paranormal. However, there was something out of the ordinary that he noticed. It was an e-mail from...Simmons. Last time Dib checked, Simmons didn't even know he existed. Why would he take a sudden interest in him now? Dib opened the e-mail and started reading, excitement rising in him like a child on Christmas morning.

_Dear Dib Membrane,_  
_We, at Membrane Labs, have gotten the news of the Professor's passing. He was a good man and will be sorely missed. However, it has come to our attention that the Labs cannot function without a founder. You and Gazlene are the only heirs. You, being the eldest child, are first in line. Please contact me when you have decided what you are going to do about this._  
_Sincerely,_  
_Simmons_

Dib didn't have to think about it for any longer than five seconds. He started tapping away at his keyboard, composing his response. Oh, boy, was fate awesome or what?

* * *

_Mwahuhauahauahuahaua! Short chapter powers, activate! This chapter was written purely to let y'all know what Dib was up to during the last chapter. Next chapter, we'll get back to Zim and Gaz and a new character...AND THEN THE VIOLENCE STARTS! :D Reviews, anyone?_


	4. Chapter 4

_You don't need an introduction...do you? Here's part 4 of WAFD, blah blah blah, ON WITH THE SHOW!_

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Gaz scrubbed at the floor of one of Zim's various palatial rooms in his humongous base. This was so fucking degrading! Since when did SHE, of all people, work as someone's MAID! Gaz put down her brush and tugged at the metal collar once more. Wouldn't budge, as normal.

This was so fucked up. Why couldn't she just have a semi-normal life for once? No, she has have an insane dipwad of a brother, a robot trying to make her eat waffles left and right, and an alien that kidnapped her purely because he had a measly crush on her.

"That sounded so...stupid," Gaz said aloud to herself. She knew of some people that would pay to have a life as exciting as hers. Exciting? No, that hardly describes what she was going through. How about, excruciatingly painful, stressful and boring? That sums it up pretty well.

The worst part wasn't that Zim expressed love through forcing her to work as his servant, though- It was that she actually tolerated it. It all goes back to the friggin' remote collar. Without it, she definitely wouldn't be working for Zim, but...she may stay with him. Gaz mentally kicked herself for that thought. She was going _soft_, no matter how much she resented it. And, she resented it all right. She hated it with every bone in her body. Is that what love does to people? Gaz hoped not. If it was, she sure would miss the days when she only felt love for pizza and video games.

Love was screwed up. Yet, she loved Zim. She knew that for sure, and she wanted to find sone random stranger and torture the hell out of them because of it. Gaz shoved all of these thoughts aside, leaving just one thing in her head.

_'When I get this collar off, and mark my words, I WILL, I'm going to rip Zim's squeedilyspooch out his ass and cram it down his throat._'

* * *

"And it's all in my head, but she's touching his chest now. He takes off her dress now. Let me go... I just can't look, it's killing me, and taking control. Jealousy, turning saints into the sea. Swimming through sick lullabies. Choking on your alibis," Dib sang along to his favorite song as he worked in his father's...no, HIS new lab. It felt just _great_!

Too bad instead of paying money for it, he payed with his father's life.

But, hey, he couldn't go all sentimental on himself, right? God forbid. He was no longer the insane son of Professor Membrane, he was now Dib, the Amazing and Powerful Successor of Professor Membrane! It really was quite amazing that everyone had changed their opinions of him so quickly. It was almost instantaneous, really. This past week, everyone in town had become obsessed with the paranormal. He was everyone's hero! Man, did it feel fantastic.

Plus, being the town's role model meant that he didn't have to go to skool! I mean, the Super-Amazing Awesome Dib shouldn't have to learn or go to college, right?

He couldn't believe that just last Monday, he had been on his rooftop, crying over some girl he hadn't seen since elementary skool. "She wasn't a girl," Dib reminded himself coldly. "She was a scaly demon from beyond the stars, bent on enslaving all us humans."

Funny how even though he told himself he shouldn't be getting all teary over it anymore, he found himself doing it. He wasn't that upset over his dad's passing, but he was over some space-chick that was in his fifth grade class. Maybe it was because the ordeal with Professor Membrane was done and over with, but he was about to dig the whole Tak thing up again.

He already had her old ship hooked up to some complicated machinery he had found in the Labs. "Get a fucking hold of yourself," Dib muttered to himself, trying to stop his hands from shaking as he typed on a large, black keyboard. He drew in a shaky breath, letting the cursor hover over the "Open Communication Line" button.

Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe Tak wouldn't remember him. Maybe she was dead.

'Only one way to find out,' he thought, fixing his hair (Which was a mess) and clicking the button to open a communication line with Tak's escape pod. The giant screen on the wall flickered a little before Tak's custom irken-emblem-thing appeared on the screen. _'Is she even there? Maybe she abandoned it,'_ Dib thought. He hoped not. She was the most skilled assassin he knew. She could help with his situation with Gaz. Besides, Dib was lonely and desperate to talk to someone he REALLY cared about.

After a few moments of pure stillness, there was a short, high pitched beeping sound and the insignia disappeared from the screen. At first, Dib thought he was staring at pitch black until he got his eyes used to it. He could see Tak. She looked different, skinnier and taller, but she was there.

Just glaring at him.

"What do you want?" she croaked out in a voice that was almost unrecognizable as hers after a few moments of silence.

"Tak! You're...alive," was all Dib could stutter out.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but yes, I AM alive."

"No, it's not a disappointment, it's actually kind of a relief..."

"What're you sucking up to me for?"

"I'm not sucking up to you."

"Then why is it a relief to see me?"

"Well, it's just that no ones heard from you for seven years, we all kinda thought that you were...y'know...dead."

"Oh, yeah, I was shown up by and excuse for an invader and his retarded SIR, why don't I just go over to their house for tea?"

Dib was completely thrown aback. It was to be expected that she would be cranky, but...there was more. She seemed insane. Her clothes were all torn up and smudged with something Dib could only hope was red ink. Her eyes were dull and grey, missing the light behind them that Dib had loved so much.

"Skootch-beast got your tongue?" Tak said after a while.

"Tak, let's just get to the point. I need your help," Dib confessed. "Help? With what? Learning how to, I don't know, _not_ be a total dick?" Tak sneered.

"No. Zim has Gaz captured."

"I thought your precious little sister could take care of herself," Tak scoffed.

"No, it's different. Our dad just died, and I know there's something wrong with her because the Gaz I know would have twisted Zim into a pretzel and then come home. But, it's been a week, and I haven't heard one word from her," Dib explained quickly.

Tak thought about this for quite a while. Different emotions flickered through her eyes; indecisiveness, greed, pain, and evil-ness, in that particular order. "I'm coming back," she said sinisterly. "But definitely not to help your sorry little ass. Just watch your back, Dib. There may be a knife in it soon enough." She then cut the transmission, leaving Dib in total blackness.

What did he get himself into now?

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_Heyyyy...loooooook...Dib's favorite song is "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers... who would'a guessed? Also, YAY! INSANE TAK! *dances in circles* THE GORE STARTS NOW, YO! Review if you ever want to see your mother again. :D_


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey 'dere! Before I start chapter 5, I have a few things to say. First off, I want to thank all of my reviewers. To be honest, in the huge break I took between chapter 2 and 3, I seriously considered discontinuing this fic. Your reviews are what kept me going. ^_^ The next thing is a warning. As you know, last chapter, Tak came into the story and she's gone insane. The rest of the story is going to contain VERY strong language and A LOT of violence. I may be changing the rating up to M. If this kind of stuff offends you, just let me know and I'll tone it down a little. The next few chapters are going to revolve around Dib and Tak a little more, seeing as how I've got the ZAGR thing rolling along. In about two chapters or so, Zim, Gaz and GIR will be back in the fic and ready for some serious smacking! Without any more of my useless babbling, here comes part 5 of We All Fall Down__!_

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(Tak's P.O.V.)

This had better REALLY be happening. If I'm not going to come out on top this time, I'll blow a fricking fuse.

Hm, I wonder how many times that's happened so far.

Why does it have to be like this for me? Every day, I have to work harder than ANYBODY else, just to achieve the same things they do. Most of the time, I can't even do that. Why? There's nothing wrong with me. Maybe I'm not exactly mentally stable, but...screw everyone else, I'M WINNING THIS TIME! It's been too long, I've been all alone, just wallowing in my stupid misery.

I'm going to be the champion this time.

And I won't be the champion until I see Zim, face on the floor, dead. End of story. My time to rule is coming. I've wanted this my whole life, even since I was a smeet. To Hell with the Irken Empire. I'm through with them. I try as hard as I can to give them gratification, and they just give me shit. A height based hierarchy? Please. How does that make sense?

_'You're only telling yourself that 'cause your banished,_' my conscience just had to chime in. "That's NOT the reason, goddammit! Why the hell do I even have a conscience? It's useless! Follow it's goody-two-shoes advice, and you get TRAMPLED!" I screamed aloud, punching the wall of my makeshift spacecraft. "I'M THE STRONG ONE! I'M GONNA BE THE ONE WHO RULES, ALL BY MYSELF! I DON'T NEED ANY RETARDED SNACK-LOVING EMPIRE BY MY SIDE!" I screeched, going ape shit all over the wall.

Holy fuck. I just beat up a metal wall. What's my problem? I realized that my knuckles were throbbing, sending jolts of pain up my arms and to my shoulders.

There wasn't much time to think about that, though, because the pod made a sickening lurch, groaning and creaking. I turned my head to look out the window, and felt horror jolt through me as I realized I was hurtling towards planet Earth at breakneck speed.

Dammit, why do I need to make a nuisance of myself by crashing right when I'm trying to seem powerful? "MIMI! WAKE UP! WAKE UP, FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" I screamed, kicking Mimi's lifeless corpse. Of course, it didn't stir, like all of the countless other times I had tried. Guess I'm doing this alone.

"This is so childish," I muttered, huddling in my chair, waiting for the bang that would most likely knock me unconscious. At least I'll be out of my misery for a little while.

* * *

...the hell? Feels like I had the fucking Massive land on me.

This place looks...familiar. Holy crap. No...GOD NO... ANYWHERE but here! Not EARTH! Oh...wait...I chose to come here, didn't I? Yes...the Dib Monkey tried to invite me. Stupid, stinking, pitiful human. I'm better than him, and he knows it. So, why did he think that he could just nicely ask me to help him and I would oblige? At first, I thought he had a brain in that big head. Turns out I was mistaken.

Speaking of his abnormally large head, what on Irk is it doing HERE? Someone's silhouette is standing over me...it has to be Dib's. He no longer has a tiny body, but, damn...his head just gets bigger and bigger with age.

"Tak?" came his voice, slightly afraid. "Dib-shit?" I mocked him, trying to pull my leg out from a huge hunk of metal to kick him with. From here, it looks like everything I had with me's going to be obsolete forever...except Mimi, I have some technology left in my old base that I could use to reprogram her. I got off topic.

Now, Dib pulled the metal sheet off of me and outstretched a hand to help me up. I scowled at him, slapping his hand away briskly. Why would I need his help? I struggled to my feet, wincing at a sharp pain in my left ankle. It's probably sprained. I lifted it off the ground, balancing on one foot and glaring at Dib. "You're...you're sure you don't need help?" he questioned. "Of course not, you moron," was what I said aloud, but in my head I yelled, "Of course!" I bent over and picked up a shard of steel, using it as a crutch to hobble over to Mimi. Tucking her body under my arm, I took a deep breath and started on the long trek to my old base. Actually, it wasn't all that long, but when you're carrying a huge hunk of broken metals and you have a sprained ankle, five yards can seem like a mile. I could feel Dib's concerned eyes burning into my back, but I kept moving, not looking at him.

He's following me. What a goddamn creeper. _'You're being a bitch,_' my retarded conscience decided to scold me. So what? I've got every right to be bitchy. He's a manwhore. _'He's following you, SAY SOMETHING! You know you have a crush on him.'_ WHAT? ME? A CRUSH ON THE DIB-FILTH? NEVER! _'You keep telling yourself that.'_

I hate my conscience. I hate Dib.

"Want me to carry Mimi?" Dib offered, noticing my struggle. "Get away, you creep." I snarled back.

Holy crap. I forgot to activate my disguise. I quickly turned it on, thanking the stars that I hadn't walked straight into town in full irken form. But...would it matter? The paranormal investigators would probably dissect me alive, and then I would just me another subject of an episode of Mysterious Mysteries. In other words, I'd be a celebrity. A DEAD celebrity. Hm...the dead part sounds pretty tempting.

Damn, I got off topic again. By now, Dib was keeping his distance, but still staring at me with a pained look on his face. I still couldn't figure out just why. I got pretty lucky in the crash, I've only injured my ankle.

At least, I hope so. I haven't really been able to feel most pain lately. It's actually quite useful. In my seven years alone, I went planet hopping a lot. For the most part, I was just taking my frustrations out on it's unsuspecting inhabitants. Heh... no one ever saw me coming. No one got out alive. A lot people put up fights, though. I left most planets badly scratched up, but hungering for more bloodshed. Almost all flesh wounds don't hurt, now.

Planet Earth is going to be my lucky 100th victim.

Okay, maybe it's not exactly the 100th. I'm probably beyond 100 by now. But, it'll be a nice celebration of whenever it was that I DID hit 100.

Finally...I'm...we're...at my old base. My new home. "Fuck off, Dib," I mumbled, opening the side door and entering. I slammed the door in Dib's face, not needing to hear another word out of him.

Oh shit on a stick. I dropped Mimi on the ground in shock as I beheld what was left of the inside of my base. Nothing. All of my possessions I had left behind were GONE!

_'Isn't this going to be fun?_' my conscience mocked me. "SHUT UP!" I yelled out loud.

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_Yay for conscience battles! :B Review, or else I'll steal all your sandwich supplies! _


	6. Chapter 6

_Heeeeeyyyyy y'aaaaalllll... Key is here to bestow upon you another horribly-written chapter of my soap-opera like fic that you all seem to like so much. Let's cut the bullshit formalities and get to the story. (Oh, and Captor of the Crazies- Don't you worry your pretty little head. Next chapter is gonna be ZAGR-centric. I change my mind too much. .n.)_

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For those of you too epic to read the previous chapters, our lovable large-headed boy has just invited the murderer he has a crush on to help rescue his sister. And the psycho lady, otherwise known as Tak, agreed to help. This could've been viewed as a kind gesture, had she not threatened to stab Dib after. That isn't exactly "nice". Hey, even paranormal geeks have standards!

"This is going to take some _major_ skill to pull this whole stunt off," Dib muttered to himself.

Stupid Zim. Ever since he came to Earth that one autumn, Dib's already suckish life took a turn for the worst. No one believed Dib when he said that he saw Bigfoot using his belt sander, or when he saw ghosts in his toilet. He could deal with that, because deep down he knew that all those things had really happened, and that someone would believe him some day. But, the whole Zim ordeal was totally different.

Zim _was_ going to do harm to the human race, and his peers were helping him get closer and closer to total world domination with their own stupidity.

Then again, Tak was basically the same. The only different fact was that Tak was much more discreet about her plans and always knew where she could REALLY cause pain and suffering. Hell, even _Gaz_ has shown signs of wanting to kill her fellow humans. When his loved ones were monsters at heart, how could he hate Zim?

Dib sighed. Moral dilemmas suck. Shuffling the many files sitting on his desk, he stared into space. Think, think, think...aw, who the hell is he kidding? His dad's mysteriously dead, Gaz has been kidnapped, Zim is a jerk, GIR is...GIR (lovable, somewhat porn-addicted GIR *cough*EBAY*cough*), and Tak is a crazy bitch. His life sucks cock.

Was he really destined to have his life crumble down around him like the walls of an abandoned house, at the age of just seventeen? Dib was always in a rush to grow up. But, now, he missed the days that it was just him and Gaz hanging around their house watching TV while their dad worked. Hell, he even missed the days when he and Zim fought with robotic gerbil launchers (long story)!

Maybe...maybe there's a chance for happiness. Maybe if he tries his absolute hardest, he'll be able to make something good happen for once. Dib let out a kind of sick laugh. Just a couple of days ago, he had thought he could change the world with his paranormal science. Earth was filled with...morons, really. Was it truly WORTH fighting to save any more? He tried his hardest to save their asses from fiery doom, and they gave him wedgies and swirlies in return. Sure, that was in the past now, but sometimes there's no room for forgiveness. Sometimes, there's no redemption available, and your tormentors have to rot in Hell because of all the mental abuse they've given you.

Funny how one thinking session can change your entire outlook on life. It's rare, but it can happen. Dib knew now, that if he wanted what was left of his life back, he was going to have to get his head out of the sand and grow a pair. Blood was going to be shed. Zim was going to pay for all the nights Dib lay awake at night, longing for things to be different, sometimes considering suicide.

This was all going to start with a visit to Tak's base.

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"Tak?" Dib called from the doorway, surprised at how his words echoed.

No answer.

"Tak?" he called again, louder. Maybe she wasn't home. But...what would she be doing, anyway? Dib shrugged. Seeing as how she only came back to kill people, she would probably be home. She had obviously injured some part of her lower leg (based on her limp) and her face was covered in some pretty nasty-looking wounds. Tak was smart enough to stay home until she was healed...was she? Was she too far in her own pit of madness to recognize that she was unwell?

After a brief self-argument, Dib slowly shut the door and walked further into the base. It looked almost...abandoned. Something was out of whack here. There was no more floating machinery, and none of the lights were on. Dib was so lost in his own thoughts, he screamed like a little girl when he was hit by a wrench square in the middle of his back. In fact, he was so surprised he tripped and fell flat on his face. He felt a steel toe kick him roughly in the sides, turning him over. Dib was somewhat relieved to see Tak standing over him. Her violet eyes glowered at him in the dim lighting.

"Get out," Tak whispered roughly. "No one invited you."

Dib laughed nervously, paralyzed in fear and slight embarrassment. "Well, um...ya see, Tak, there's a...funny story...and, uh..." he stuttered.

"Explain yourself," she demanded sharply, kicking him in the ribs again.

Dib held back a squeal of pain. "I have a proposition," he said carefully. Tak's expression darkened.

"I don't want to be tangled up in any of your feeble attempts to save your filthy planet," she hissed.

"No, this is different. I need your help exposing Zim so I can rescue my sister and have a semi-normal life for once and show everyone that they were wrong about me all along!" Dib said quickly, words tumbling out of his mouth as fast as he could get them to.

He shut his eyes tightly and braced himself for another kick. It didn't come, though. Instead, he opened his eyes to see Tak sitting on the floor next to him, her eyes lit up with sudden interest. "_Expose_?" she inquired. Dib nodded. "So, there will be dissecting and such?" she asked curiously. Dib nodded again.

Tak stood up. "I'll do it. I'll help you," she said. "Now, don't let the door hit you on the way out." She then disappeared into a dark room.

Dib laid there for a second, soaking in all that happened. Tak really _agreed_ to help him? On the first time he asked?

Whoa...

That was...

Crazy.

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_This chapter was REALLY fun to write. It's probably the fact that I love DATR... *shrug* There's not enough out there. It's kinda rare, and I like that. *AHEM* Review or I'll submit you to five hours of nothing but Justin Beiber! _


	7. Chapter 7

_Thanks for all the reviews! :D I luff all you, most specifically TimIsaFunSucker and Captor of the Crazies. You're my best reviewers, and I thank you TREMENDOUSLY. _

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Gaz had been watching the Scary Monkey Show with GIR all afternoon, and she had had it up to her ass crack with that monkey's growling. Another stupid thing about people she could add to her mental list: They thought of essentially putting a zoo exhibit on TV. Of course, this was because humanity was too fat and lazy to get up and walk or drive down to the zoo. What morons.

Gaz stood up and began walking over to the trashcan elevator that led down to Zim's labyrinth of hallways and laboratories. "Gazzie? Where you going?" GIR queried.

"Away," she answered. GIR jumped up and ran up to her. "I go away too!" he declared.

"No, no you won't." Gaz then drop-kicked him back in to the living room. GIR just sat there, looking confused, rubbing his butt.

Gaz dove down the chute face first, not really thinking anything other than wanting to get out of any room with GIR in it. Stupid, retarded, deranged little freak.

Gaz landed with a "thud" at the bottom of the shaft, and she suddenly regretted her rush to get down here. Getting up and rubbing her sore face, she looked around. She was in a long hallway cloaked in shades of magenta, ends stretching further than the human eye could see. Normally, Gaz wouldn't be so surprised, but something about the aura down here sent a chill down her spine. It was dark and spooky, yet futuristic. All of the humans' predictions of future architecture were bright, bathed in white and blue.

She preferred this by FAR.

Starting to walk down the walkway curiously, Gaz slowly looked from side to side, searching for any signs of life. After just a few minutes, she could hear Zim talking, probably sending a transmission to his leaders. Gaz remembered back when she was in fourth grade, Dib told her about communicating with Zim's Tallests. She hadn't payed attention, for she was WAY more interested in the new edition of Vampire Piggy Hunters she had just bought. However, Gaz did remember him saying that one of them looked just like Zim (only way taller) and the other looked somewhat like a male version of Tak. Gaz sought out the door Zim's voice was coming from behind, opening it and peering in.

He WASN'T sending a message. In fact, the room he was in didn't have any large TV screens or anything. Instead, the room was dark besides a circular, green glowing table in the middle of the room. It more or less reminded Gaz of a fortune teller's chamber. The table had a projection of a large and complicated machine on it, unlike anything Gaz had ever seen before. Zim was talking to himself in words that sounded like complete gibberish, most likely his native language. Gaz knew she shouldn't be watching him and should be working (she didn't think this herself, the control collar had almost completely taken over her mind) but she was intrigued. What the hell was he doing?

Before Gaz could duck behind the door, Zim looked over at her. She froze. Would Zim be angry? She didn't see any anger in his expression..."Gaz-human, come over here," he beckoned her. "Quit calling me that," she mumbled. Zim showed no sign that he heard her. "What do you think of my newest, most AMAZING PLAN to destroy the hyoo-mans?" he asked, sounding much more like his old self than he did when she first started...ugh, WORKING for him. "What IS it?" Gaz queried.

"Can't you see? It's OBVIOUSLY a mega-death laser beam!"

"It...uh, looks like a cardboard box, Zim." Gaz wasn't trying to be difficult. The 3-D projection atop the table really DID look like just a cardboard box, complete with a "THIS SIDE UP" sticker. "The mega-death ray is INSIDE the box!" Zim exclaimed proudly. "Well, I didn't know that, because I can't SEE inside the box," Gaz retorted.

"Whatever," Zim said, keeping his sense of pride. "I'm going to use it to summon an army of toasters, to burn everybody's toast!" He then started laughing maniacally at his supposedly "brilliant" plan. "Zim?" Gaz asked, "How the hell is burning someone's toast going to destroy the human race?"

"Haven't you ever made toast for breakfast?" Zim asked impatiently. Gaz nodded. "Well, when you burn it, doesn't just ruin your whole day and make you want to die?"

"No, no, it doesn't. I throw it out and make a new piece," Gaz said sarcastically. "Oh, damn, so the whole 'suicidal' thing is just me, huh?" Zim asked. "Well, no, everyone's felt suicidal, but no one gets that sad over TOAST," Gaz replied. The next thing Gaz though to say was, "How can you be happy knowing you've killed people, but be that dramatic about a measly piece of toast?" but the words stuck in her throat, and she knew exactly why. SHE killed someone, and she CAN'T deal with it.

"Gaz, you're doing that weird spacing-out thing again," Zim said, flicking her forehead. Gaz just stared at him blankly. Did he not understand? "Are you okay?" he pressed harder. "No. Yes. I don't know. Bye," Gaz said, turning around and walking away. Maybe watching the Scary Monkey show with GIR may be a good way to give her mind some rest...up to the growling monkey.

"Gaz, come back," Zim ordered. "What?" she asked, now in a bad mood. Zim said nothing more, just outstretched his arms and hugged her. HUGGED HER. Zim, hugging a pitiful human. Wait, I'm making too big a deal out of this. He's hugged her before, and kissed her. Oh, well. It still felt pretty nice. "Thanks," Gaz said, REALLY appreciating something Zim did for one of the first times ever. "Not a problem, Gaz-human, not a problem," Zim replied.

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_Review or I'll *insert threat Key was too lazy to think of here*. USE YOUR IMAGINATIONS._


	8. Chapter 8

_Summer vacation is now upon us up in good ol' New York! That means ahead of us is a time of quick updates, better writing and painful sunburns. Yep, I'll be contributing more, even though it may be somewhat slow compared to other people. My summer is going to be pretty busy, and I don't know what the hell I'm telling you this for. On to chapter 8 of We All Fall Down!_

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Dib now knows what it's like to try and control a small tube loaded with dynamite, trying to bend it to his will.

Okay, maybe that's not exactly it, but you get the picture. He trying to control a small psychotic _alien_ (she's now actually shorter than Zim, but Dib's not about to burst her bubble). Dib had been plotting with Tak for the past week to stop Zim and rescue his sister. A tiny voice in the back of his head asked him if Gaz really NEEDED to be rescued. She's been gone for a few weeks...it wasn't like her to not blow Zim's base to smithereens and come home. But, Dib shoved the thought away. He and Tak were already on the move, walking down to Zim's base. Tak was snickering and whispering to herself. Dib decided to not try and listen, for she was probably speaking of explicit violence. He wasn't too big on gore.

Mimi was also with them, Tak having fixed her. I can't say she's as good as new, because it's cliché _and_ I would be lying. During the crash, some of her parts had exploded. The parts were irreplaceable, so Mimi was now a few straws shy of a full bale. No, she wasn't retarded like GIR, she was just weak. She could put up a fight, but she wasn't a very formidable threat. But, it was okay, because it was three against one and a demented SIR. In the absolute worst case scenario, Gaz would have crossed over to Zim's side and they'd have to fight her. Of course, then they would all explode. _Maybe_ Tak could take her down; because from what Dib had heard about her past few years, it seems her insanity works in her favor. Dib prayed that they wouldn't have to fight too much. Even though Dib would love for Tak to be happy and get her "revenge", the results were probably going to be catastrophic.

Zim was assembling his evil toast-burning ray of utter depression and doom (ignoring Gaz's thoughts on it) when he heart a faint thumping noise from above. He assumed it was just GIR or Gaz walking around, so he ignored it. He kept working, unaware that two pairs of vengeful eyes were watching him from around the corner.

Around the said corner, the two pairs of eyes belonged to (of course) Dib and Tak. Tak was digging her fingernails into the wall (AN: Do irkens have fingernails? I don't know.) for it was taking all of her self control to not leap out and smack Zim upside the face. Dib was also getting slightly fidgety. He just _couldn't wait _to exterminate Zim once and for all! Mimi was just sitting there, not making a sound, staring into space.

Dib stared at the toast-burning gun quizzically, not quite sure what to make out of it. Was it even worth trying to foil? Maybe he should just find Gaz and sneak them out of there. Then, they may be able to leave without a fight. "Tak," he whispered, tapping her on the shoulder. Tak looked at him, smiling. She obviously thought he was about to give him the signal to attack. The smile faded, though, as Dib began to quickly explain his plan. "Maybe we should just find Gaz, rescue her, and leave without a fight."

"What? Why the fuck would we do that? Where's the sense in it?" Tak whispered back harshly. "Well, if we can leave without a fight, no one will get injured," Dib replied. He thought his answer was pretty logical. Wasn't it? From the look on her face, he could tell Tak didn't concur.

"Please, Tak. I don't want my sister to get hurt. We can fight Zim some other time," Dib begged. "Don't you dare chicken out on me," she growled in reply. "I've waited too long for this moment. You're _not_ taking this away from me." Dib was left speechless as she ordered Mimi to give her a gun. As odd as it was, Mimi produced a laser gun from her head. Tak snatched it and muttered "Toodles," darkly before creeping around the corner and firing at Zim.

Dib felt his heart leap in a strange mix of excitement and disbelief. Everything around him seemed to be moving in slow motion. He knew Tak could shoot with deadly accuracy. Was his worst enemy about to meet his end?

Zim's time hadn't come yet, though. It seems that since Tak had only requested a gun, Mimi _had_ given her a gun. A flare gun. It just made a loud popping noise, causing Zim to turn around. "Shit," Dib swore under his breath. He might miss Zim a little if he had died, but not really. "MIMI! YOU FUCKING RETARD!" Tak screeched, throwing the useless weapon on the ground. Mimi only appeared to have heard the part where her name was called, for she stood attention and saluted. "Yes, master?" she asked in a professional tone. Tak didn't hear her though, for she was having a stare down with Zim.

"What are you doing back?" he asked, sounding slightly disgusted. "I _killed_ you!" Tak looked hurt for a second; she was probably recalling the fact that she was banished. She then let out an angry scream and launched herself on Zim, pummeling him with her bare fists. He was much larger and was better built than her, seeing as how Tak had spent the past years deteriorating in deep space. However, Tak still hadn't forgot the skills of an irken solider.

Dib and Mimi stood in the doorway, Dib debating wether he should join in and Mimi still waiting for the direct order to attack.

From a few floors up, Gaz had heard the commotion downstairs. At first she assumed Zim had made some stupid mistake, but when the banging and yelling didn't cease she decided to go down and investigate. She was then met by the sight of Zim and Tak's wrestling match. Should she join in? Wait, wasn't Tak dead? What was Dib doing there? Didn't she and GIR break Mimi? The questions whirled around in her head, making her feel ready to explode.

She felt slightly worried for Zim, even though Tak was shorter and pretty scrawny. Why should she worry about Zim, anyway? It was probably the control collar doing most of the thinking, but some of it might have been coming from her own heart. Gaz looked over at the dueling irkens, their angry screams and curses filling the halls.

"YOU ASS!"

"WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING HERE?"

"DON'T YOU GET ANYTHING?"

"OW! DON'T PUNCH A GUY THERE!"

"TOO BAD!"

Gaz's side that had feelings for Zim won over, and she rushed over to the mini-battlefield, shoving herself in between to two. Zim was in shock and angry. But, his state of mind was nothing compared to Tak's. Tak was wild-eyed and looked like she could stab either one of them at the drop of a hat.

"What the hell is going _on_?" Gaz yelled.

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_Review if you want more violence and xenophillia!_


	9. Chapter 9

_You should totally read this, because there's a huge suprise at the end that will make you scream. GO._

**_Disclaimer_**_: Crap...uh, I *forgot* to write one of these...for every chapter below this. So, I don't on Invader Zim, quit teasing me._

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"She attacked me!" Zim was the first to speak, pointing his finger at Tak (who was now being restrained by Dib). "Look at yourself, whining like a smeet," Tak sneered, a tiny bit of blood dribbling from her mouth. Dib was elated just to see his sister alive, but he couldn't take his hands off of Tak. For one, if he did she would probably attack. Secondly, it felt nice.

"Shut. Up." Gaz growled at Tak, feeling protective of Zim. Tak stuck her tounge in reply. "Gaz! We're here to rescue you," Dib said quietly in an urgent tone. He then raised his voice as he said, "We'll fight you Zim. You will not hold my sister as prisoner any longer."

"Rescue?" Gaz questioned. She could go home! But...wait. What were they going to do about the collar? It would probably explode or something if she left Zim's base against his will. Gaz looked over at Zim. Did she really want to leave? Remembering the few times Zim had seemed like he cared about her in the past few weeks, Gaz wanted to stay with him. But continue as his SLAVE? Nuh-uh, that would have to go. Gaz hated working for Zim, but living with him was okay. Despite the fact that GIR annoyed her relentlessly, watching him interact with Zim was a riot. Even though she was a servant, it kind of felt like she belonged at Zim's base. At home, her father didn't give a crap about her, and Dib cared about her TOO much. She got ALL the wrong kinds of attention. Zim, however, acted like he wanted her around. Like he wanted to be with her, in his own sick and twisted way.

Gaz stepped away from Dib and closer to Zim. It was time to break the cycle, to spice her life up a little. "What're you doing?" Dib asked, confused. Ah, Dib. Clueless Dib. "I'm making the right decision," Gaz replied. "Right decision? Siding with Zim? Fool," the jeer came from Tak. "You can shut your mouth, asshole," Gaz snapped back. "Try and make me," the irken taunted, wriggling to get loose of Dib's grasp. When Dib realized she was about to attack Gaz, he pulled Tak closer. "Please, don't do this," he said quietly. "I'll spare your sister, but only if she stays out of my way," Tak snarled. Dib felt himself start to panic as he realized that Gaz was on Zim's side and Tak would go out of her way to exterminate them both.

There was a long silence as they all ended up in a stare-down. Everyone's gaze was filled with pure animosity, except Dib's. Dib was worrying his ass off, until he realized something. About a couple of weeks earlier, Dib had become so pissed off about how he led his life that he had began to conspire with Tak. He felt that same monster coming unleashed inside him again, and he let go of Tak. She tackled Zim again, punching and ripping at his skin as before.

But this time, Dib's actions were different. He launched himself on top of Zim as well, kicking and throwing punches rapidly.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU PEOPLE'S PROBLEMS?" Gaz screamed, throwing herself in the pile. She could swear that Tak BIT her (odd), and maybe Dib hit her by mistake. Gaz smacked Dib in the face as hard as she could, leaving a nice pink handprint. Gaz was about to use her weird spooky powers on Tak, but then Mimi decided to finally join in on the battle. Mimi had a knife in her hand, and slashed it at Gaz. Luckily, Gaz had always had fast reflexes and she pulled away, the knife only nicking her arm.

Mimi was about to strike again when Zim came flying out of nowhere, knocking Mimi away. 'Maybe Zim IS good for a few things,' Gaz thought with a smile. He really was a treasure when he wanted to be.

By this time, Dib was composing himself, dragging Tak away from the fight. Tak struggled, but something other than her ripped clothes and bloodstained skin told that Zim had not gone easy on her. "THIS IS WAR, BITCH!" Tak screamed at Gaz. "So be it," was the dark girl's retort. "I never thought it'd end up like this," Dib said, eerily calm. All four of the beings in the room were injured in more than a couple ways. "Good-bye," he said, dragging Tak away with less difficulty, as she was loosing consciousness.

"Your brother's an even bigger ass than ever before," Zim said once Dib, Tak and Mimi had left the premises. "Tell me about it," Gaz scoffed in reply. "You didn't have to live with him for the majority of your life, dealing with his stupid paranormal obsession." Zim nodded. There was an awkward silence before Zim decided to break it. "COMPUTER!" he demanded, "Clean up this mess!"

"Fine," Computer grumbled in his normal unsatisfied tone. Zim and Gaz then walked down the dark hallways, making small talk. "So...whaddya wanna do?" Zim asked after a while. "We should probably go to Rite-Aid or something. Some of those wounds look pretty nasty, Zim," Gaz answered. "No need," Zim said dismissively. "My PAK'll keep me from getting any diseases or infections. We need to worry about YOU, Gaz human. You heard Tak, we're at war now. I have an idea you may or may not like, but I honestly could care less about your opinion on it." Gaz ignored his self-centered statement, because she thought it was kind of cute and funny when he acted like that. "You'll like it," Zim continued, "because it involves getting rid of your control collar." Gaz mentally happy-danced around, but immediately stopped by Zim's next words. "You won't like it, because it involves turning you partially irken."

"WHAT?" Gaz asked/screamed, jumping away from Zim. She liked being human! "Keep your brain meats in order, I only said PARTIALLY!" Zim said in a tone one might use when talking about the local news. "Yeah, but I want to remain FULLY human!" Gaz was still in shock. Why the flying fuck would she want to be an alien? "Well, as stated before, your opinion doesn't matter. I'm going to be giving you a PAK. What it does, basically, is sustains you and gives you supernatural abilities. You won't have to worry about eating or sleeping, as they are frivolous activities for an irken. You'll also be able to sprout four mechanical legs from your back, enabling you to run faster and shoot lasers from them." Gaz felt growing interest. She was still a little suspicious, but she wouldn't mind having all the powers Zim spoke of. "So, I'll never have to eat or sleep, but I'll always be well rested and fit?" Gaz questioned. "Precisely," Zim answered. That sounded pretty awesome. Plus, she was getting rid of the control collar. That thing was doing nothing but driving her CRAZY. "Okay, I'll do it."

"Excellent," Zim said with a sneaky smile. "ONWARD TO THE MEDICAL BAY!" he shouted, marching ahead.

It really didn't hurt that much. Okay, I lied. It was excruciatingly painful. But, you win some you lose some, am I right? When Gaz turned around to look at it, she saw that her PAK looked just like Zim's, only with black spots. If she had not looked at it, she wouldn't have known it was there. It was lightweight and didn't restrict her back from bending in any way, despite the fact that it looked like it would. Zim actually drilled two holes in her back. It was a wonder she wasn't paralyzed. In fact, she didn't even bleed. 'Irken technology must be even more advanced than I thought,' Gaz mentally said. She was then hit by a sharp electric shock, and BAM! Done.

"So, what do you think?" Zim had said. Gaz shrugged indifferently. "Does it not amaze you?" Zim pressed. "It's unique...for sure," she said, still in shock from the electric bolt. "You'll never have to worry about keeping your body fit again and you'll always have a weapon handy, and you think it's 'unique'?" Zim was starting to get on her nerves. "It's everything I ever wanted in all my hopes and dreams. Happy?" she said exasperatedly. "Very," Zim said with a grin.

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_Whoo! Gazzy's gone irken-human hybrid thingy! Also, another little suprise: I've decided one of the "fantastic four" is going to die at the end. So, if you want to see which beloved characters will meet their painful and gory end, REVIEW!_


	10. Chapter 10

_Woah is all I have to say. ...Woaaaaah. I'm on chapter ten .CHAPTER TEN. When I first started planning this fic back in December, I didn't plan on getting this far. Heck, I originally planned it to be five chapters! Then I started stretching it out...and making short chapters...oh, and Tak wasn't in the original plot. But I decided she would spice things up a little, so I threw her in there too. Speaking of Tak, I'm suprised by the number of you that hate Tak and you want her to die a horrid end. She's one of my favorites. All I can say is, the person I'm killing, it most certainly will not be a happy ending for more than one character. ON TO THE STORY!_

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own Invader Zim, duuuuuuuuuuude. Oh, and Gaz says a line from the song "Success is the Best Revenge" by BOTDF in here, because I was listening to the song while I wrote it...and it was just too awesome to not throw in...so, I guess I don't own "Build a damn bridge and get the fuck over yourself!" READ._

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"You don't have to _do_ anything, just think it!" Zim yelled impatiently, currently coaching Gaz on how to use the spider legs on her PAK. "How the hell does that work? It's not like it can read my mind or something!" Gaz exclaimed. "It _can_ read your mind, never doubt me," Zim said cooly. There was something about the persuasiveness in his voice that made Gaz listen. 'Okay then, so-called spider legs, make yourselves useful...or something,' Gaz thought, unsure of what she was doing. Sure enough, she was then lifted off the ground by four mechanical appendages. "Whoa!" Gaz couldn't help but exclaim. "That is frickin' awesome!"

"Is it not?" Zim asked slyly. "Don't get all high-and-mighty on me," Gaz teased back. "Oh, I think I will. Because I was right and YOU were wrong!" he said, rising up on his own stilts and swiping at one of hers, knocking her down. "Go easy on me! I'm still a beginner, remember?" _Holy mother of all good and kind. Did she just say that?_ It was just the control collar that was making her act like that! Maybe it had imprinted on her for life...or there was something in her PAK...or...Gaz was getting carried away.

"Hah, and the mighty _Zim_ is a master!" Zim declared, then cackled maniacally. "Build a damn bridge and get the fuck over yourself," Gaz said playfully, lightly smacking Zim in the face. "Did you just do that?" Zim said, with a fake gay lisp (Not being homophobic here, guys, that's just what it sounded like.) "I did," Gaz laughed. Zim slapped her back, making Gaz laugh even harder. "Are you happy that I kept the Dib-shit from rescuing you, now?" he asked. "I didn't need your help," Gaz replied. 'But it was pretty brave,' she added in her head. "Of course you didn't," Zim's voice was brimming with sarcasm. "Don't forget that _you_ would've been shredded alive if I hadn't joined in," Gaz said cooly. "I could've won by myself," he defended. "Yeah, one guy against another, a psychotic alien, and a weapon-loaded robot. You _totally_ could have beaten them," she jeered.

"But they surrendered! We left them quaking in their boots!"

"We left _Dib_ quaking in his boots, and _he_ surrendered. Tak would've fought to the death, and Mimi would follow."

"Quit being such a pessimist!"

"Oh, come on. It's what I do best, and you know it."

"I think I know how I could fix that," Zim smirked.

Gaz was _totally_ unprepared for what happened next, as she was the first time he did it a few weeks ago. He leaned in and kissed her. But, this time, it wasn't a failed attempt at a heated make-out session on his part. It was much softer, and he pulled away after four or five seconds. Gaz smiled for the first time in quite a while. "How was _that_?" he asked. "Nice...really nice," Gaz answered. "Good thing GIR wasn't around to to try and auction anything on the Internet, eh?" Zim joked. "Yeah. That was just...weird," she said, at a loss for words. "What? The kiss or the whole eBay thing?" he seemed kind of alarmed. "The eBay thing, dork," she replied with a small giggle.

They just kind of stared at each other for a little while, then. _'Talk about an awkward silence,'_ Gaz thought. It was soon interrupted by none other than the stupid yet lovable SIR unit known as GIR. "LOOK WHAT I GOT! LOOOOOOOOK WHAT I GOTS!" he screamed at the top oh his tiny robotic lungs. "What, GIR? What do you want now?" Zim was exasperated. "MIMI GAVE THIS TO ME! She is _sooooo_ nice!"

"Mimi gave _what_ to you?" Gaz asked suspiciously. "This!" GIR yelled, reaching in to his head and pulling out-you probably guessed it-a pipe bomb, with the timer set to one hour. "GIR! Dispose of that _immediately_!" Zim scolded. "Dumbass," Gaz growled. "But, master, Mimi said it was a tasty treat. You can't let good food go to waste!" GIR argued. "Well, Mimi's a liar. Gimme that," Zim snatched the bomb and sent it up a pipe leading to the outside of the house. In less than ten seconds, it was flung halfway across town. "Master! That was mean!" GIR cried. "Do you wanna know what was even _more_ mean? Mimi tried to _blow up our base_! That was a _bomb_!" Zim reprimanded GIR. Turning back to Gaz, he added, "I've been trying to destroy Earth for seven years, you'd think he'd know what a human bomb looked like!"

"Zim?" Gaz asked.

"Yeah?"

"That was a _human_ bomb. Mimi is _irken_ property. That means that Dib must've had something to do with it."

"Figures," Zim snorted. "Zim...he knows I'm here," Gaz said weakly. "Why would he want to destroy your base and it's inhabitants, when he knew I was one of them?"

"Your brother's an ass, Gaz, you know that! Plus, he's obviously been meeting with Tak, she's probably twisting him and making him even worse," Zim said. "Ooh...Tak's back? I like her! She's pretty!" GIR jumped around. "No, GIR, that's not good. She and the Dib are trying to kill us!" Zim shouted. "Oh," GIR sounded disappointed, his antenna drooping.

"So...what the hell do you think they were thinking, wanting to eliminate us like that?" Gaz asked, slightly worried. "What do you think? They were trying to kill us!" Zim exclaimed. "That's what it seems like, but you really need to think. Two days ago, Dib seemed so worried about me, and now he wants to kill me? That's screwed up. I don't think he had much of a choice in the bombing," Gaz countered. "I wouldn't put it past him to destroy my base," Zim insisted. "_Zim. Use your brain._ Dib was trying to _rescue_ me yesterday. He wouldn't want to kill me a couple days later!" she growled. "Fine, believe what you want, but Dib's crazy," he snorted. Gaz rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

A few blocks down the road at the Membrane house, an explosion was heard. The house shook slightly, not enough to break anything. Dib, Tak and Mimi had been waiting for the explosion that would seriously maim, if not kill, their enemies.

"What was that?" Dib asked, assuming that their bomb had not gone off yet and that someone else had some kind accident. Tak, however, knew better. "That was the sound of our plan backfiring," she snarled coldly. "_Mimi_! Tell us, in detail, _exactly_ what you did."

"Well, milady, I located GIR, handed him the bomb and told him it was candy. I left after that," Mimi explained. "I think another attack is in order," Tak decided. "No way, Tak. You're not fully healed from your crash, _and_ you were beat up pretty badly the other day," Dib said, trying to take charge. "You don't tell me what to do!" Tak snapped. "Lace up your shoes and load your best weapons, we're leaving at dawn."

* * *

_*sits in corner, trying to restrain giggling* Zimmer kissed Gazzy, oh I love being the author! I can make crazy shit like that happen! But then GIR went and screwed it all up. Review unless you want me to tell you the real meaning of hobknocker! That's not a bad threat, but I got ZERO sleep last night, so get off of my back. .n._


	11. Chapter 11

_Hola, everyone! I'm...uh...here. There's going to be two more chapters at the least, four more at the most, so...ENJOY! _

**_Disclaimer_**_: I don't claim to own Invader Zim in any way shape or form. It's Jhonen Vasquez's creation entirely. Also, there's a Kingdom Hearts reference in here, I don't own that either, all rights to that go to SquareEnix and Disney._

* * *

"We've gotten rid of Service Drone Tak, _finally_, how about we try Zim?" Purple asked. "Would it matter? We _can't_ get rid of Zim! We can't get it through his head! What makes you think it'll work this time?" Red exclaimed. Purple seemed slightly alarmed. "Well, I just wanted to _try_. Jeez, what's with the sudden outburst?"

"I...I don't know, it's just...don't you think being the Tallest would be easier without Zim calling us every five seconds about some plan that most likely won't work?" Red queried. "Yeah...I guess it would," Purple agreed. They sat there eating snacks and not talking for a little while, until Red's face slowly began to light up. "I've got an idea," he said. Purple looked at him, slightly confused. "Remember, when we banished Tak, how she tried to kill us?" Red reminded Purple. "Yeah...I found that to be quite unpleasant," Purple didn't see what Red was insinuating. "We banished her to the same planet as Zim! How much you wanna bet we don't get any more than five transmissions from him ever again, before Tak skins him alive?" Red explained excitedly.

"5,000 monies!"

"Okay, we need someone to bet we get at least six calls,"

"Hmmm... _oh, Bobby_!"

I just read your mind. You were thinking, 'Wait, didn't Bobby die at the end of Hobo 13?' Well, Zim survived, so what makes you think Bobby couldn't? Hm? Anyhow, Bobby was just about to owe the Tallest 5,000 monies (which he didn't have) or vice versa.

* * *

GIR was hanging upside down from the couch in the ground level of the base, watching Happy Tree Friends (That seems like something GIR would watch, no? Happy-smiley, and then everyone suffers a horrible and violent demise?) GIR giggled madly as Flippy shoved another animal's face on the grill, melting their face off. Flippy was his favorite. (AN: Back off, GIR, he's mine!) He was soon disturbed by the doorbell ringing. He jumped off the couch and ran over to the door, swinging it open.

"HI!" he screamed to the three people before him. Well, I shouldn't say that. It'd be more accurate if I said "two people and one robot." It was big head boy, and pretty lady, and Mimi! "Take us to wherever Zim is," Dib ordered. Wait...didn't Zim say something bad about them? Oh, yeah, they were giving out candy! "Did you bring me any candy?" GIR asked, the words tumbling out of his mouth rapidly. Everyone stared at him, beyond confused. After about ten seconds, Tak's face twisted in to a sick smile. "Yes, GIR, we brought you candy," she lied, bending down so she was face to face with him. "Loads of it, in fact. But, we'll only give it to you if you bring us to Zim. Have we got a deal?"

"Yeah!" GIR cheered, spinning around and skipping further in to the base, tailed by Dib, Tak and Mimi. The three stared at the gory spectacle on the TV screen as they walked past. "That was really clever, back there," Dib whispered to Tak. "Don't act so surprised," she muttered back.

GIR led them down the trash can elevator (it was a tight squeeze to fit all of them in the considerably tiny shaft, but they made it), down a hall, made a left turn, went up a flight of stairs, made another left turn, continued walking for a while, turned right, and they were at their destination. Only a pair of double doors remained. "Be quiet," GIR said in a hushed tone. "Master's talking to his leaders. Gazzy's there too, I think. Master likes her. Did you know that? I knew that! He kidnapped her because she gave his PAK a glitch. I think he needs to watch more TV, cause-" he was silenced by Tak clamping her hand over his mouth. "Be quiet and go find something else to do, unless you want to forfeit all your candy!" GIR scuttled away. "Where are you going to get the candy, mistress?" Mimi asked. "I'm not," Tak answered simply.

Dib, however, was staring ahead, getting the feeling in his stomach that one gets when they're about to throw up. Gaz was in that room. He didn't want to hurt her. Tak was controlling him, making him do all these things that put his sister's life at stake. Tak was like a disease: deadly and infectious. However, Dib could simply not get enough of her. What was happening to him?

"Dib! Earth to Dib!" Tak hissed, flicking him in the middle if the forehead. He stared at her, unable to speak. "Here, take this," she instructed, giving him something that looked suspiciously like the Keyblade from Kingdom Hearts. "Uh...what is this?" Dib questioned. "I honestly don't know, Mimi's been producing the weirdest weapons lately," Tak sighed.

"...apparently some humans grow tired of their _filthy_ lives in their teenage years and decide to kill _themselves_. They also don't like it when they burn their toast. I'm going to use this to my advantage with-ARGH!" Zim was explaining the toast ray of overwhelming despair and sadness when he was attacked, again, by none other than Dib and Tak. Dib had no idea how to use the strange weapon he was given. After just a few try's at operating it, he just threw it aside. "Time for an old fashioned, fist-fight," he shouted at Zim. "Filthy worm-beast, you know Zim will win," Zim replied, slugging Dib in the face.

Tak had been dragged off by Gaz to the other side of the room. Gaz used her new spider legs to pin her adversary to the wall. She had also managed to steal Tak's sword she was previously wielding. Pointing it at Tak, she growled slowly and menacingly, "What the hell is this all about? What's your problem? Answer me, or it's off with the head."

"Revenge, plain and simple. Zim's the reason most of my life has been a hellhole. I've got nothing left to do, but make Zim suffer more than he's made me," Tak answered.

Gaz surprised herself with what she said next. "You're _going_ to stay away from Zim. If you do so much as _think_ about harming him, I'll make sure you die a horrible, slow and pained death." Tak glanced at her stolen sword. "I wouldn't try to use that if I were you. Not only are the weapons Mimi gives encoded to only work for the person that orders them, no, if you injured and/or killed me, your dear brother would be devastated."

"He's not my 'dear brother', and I could care less about any of his feelings."

"Shush, darling, he's right over there. Don't you think he might hear you?"

"Don't give me that innocent attitude. Everyone knows you're not."

Tak then activated her own spider legs, slashing Gaz's out of the way. They tore at both of the girls' skin and drew blood, but they were too engulfed at the fight at hand to take any notice to it. Tak shoved Gaz to the ground, kneeling on the human's stomach, making it hard for Gaz to breathe. "You don't know the first thing about what I could do to you, bitch. I could off you right now if I wanted to. If I were you I'd hold my tongue, because either you or Zim are dying tonight." Tak whispered, placing her hand on Gaz's throat. "Who?"

* * *

_DUNNANANANANANA! Cliffhanger time! Tak is gonna kill Gaz! Or maybe it's the other way around! Will anyone *cough*ZIMTHAT'SYOURCUE*cough* rescue Gaz? Wait, you guys can't get in my head, so you don't know the answers. Heh, expect a semi-slow update, 'cause I'm going to Niagra Falls this weekend. Bye!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Okay, this second-to-last chapter is really short. REALLY short. But, hey, I wanted to stop where I stopped, and I stretched out some parts and made them more dramatic then they had to be to try and make this longer. So, yeah, this is a fast-paced, violent, death-filled chapter. Hope you don't mind it's tiny-ness. WARNING:Two character deaths are depicted in this chapter. One of them you guys will love, and one of them you'll try to kill me for._

**_Disclaimer_**_: I don't own Zim, Dib, Gaz, GIR, Tak, Mimi, The Tallest, Professor Membrane, etc..._

* * *

"Me," Gaz barely choked out. Zim was her chance of living a happy life. Now that her dad was dead, she didn't want to put up with all of Dib's bullshit. She didn't have enough money to move out. She had planned on getting a job, but since she had been, well, kidnapped, she had forgotten about that.

"Is that so?" Tak asked, lifting her hand away from Gaz's neck. Gaz nodded, unable to speak. She could swear that her face was purple by now. Tak grinned and reached over for her sword and then began stroking it. "I don't know if I want to get blood on this just yet," she teased. Gaz could tell she was enjoying this a lot.

However, maybe it was too much. Because, while Tak was rubbing her victory in, Zim came out of nowhere, knocking her off of Gaz. Gaz scrambled to her feet, trying to catch her breath. "Keep the fuck away from her, you slut, before I _really_ 'ruin your life," Zim snarled at Tak. Tak stared at him, folding her arms and staying uncharacteristically calm. "Don't you think you could let me win, just this once?" Tak questioned. "Don't forget, I'm the armed one here."

"I'll never let you win as long as you're trying to do harm to the innocent!" Zim snarled back. He was really shocking himself with everything he was saying. 'Where are these words coming from?' he thought. Seeing Gaz in danger was making his PAK glitch even worse. GIR tried telling him that he didn't have a glitch, and that he was just "in love", but Zim found that idea to be preposterous. "Maybe I'll do harm to the guilty, then," Tak hissed, lunging at him with her sword pointed out. Zim ducked just in the nick of time, leaving Tak to tumble to the ground with a thud. "Clutz!" Zim exclaimed, making fun of her. Tak's face turned a deep shade of red that everyone else thought was only seen in 90's cartoons, when someone is pissed off beyond all belief.

"You really wanna go?" she fumed, stalking towards Zim. "Hell yeah," he responded, stepping backwards. "Why are you backing away, then? You scared, little boy?" Tak laughed. "I almost don't feel good about killing you." she took another step towards Zim, and he took another step back. They continued this maneuver until Zim was against the wall.

Tak held her sword at his neck, parallel to his shoulders. Staring down at her and the weapon, Zim muttered, "Psycho bitch." The sword was then pressed right against his neck, so he could feel the cold edge of the blade against his skin. "What was that?" Tak chimed. Zim finally had an idea. He lifted his hands speedily and swatted the weapon down and away. He, unfortunately, did not know at this point in time that Dib and Tak's weapons could not do harm if used by someone other than their owner. Zim watched in amazement as the blade passed right through Tak's torso, not leaving a single scratch.

Tak caught it behind her back and grinned. "You really thought that would work? You just grow stupider with age, Zim." It seems that whenever Tak starts to get cocky, something bad happens to her. This kicked in again. Tak sped at Zim again, and he slipped out of the way so Tak hit the wall instead. That doesn't sound too bad, if something horrible had not happened next. The wall was made out of steel. When the sword hit it, the blade inverted towards Tak instead of puncturing the wall. Technically, she had been using the sword, so it stabbed her, straight through her midsection. Tak made a horrid noise that's next to impossible to describe. You'd know it if you heard it, though. It was somewhat a mixture of pain, failure, and anger.

She sunk to the floor, blood spilling out of the wound like mad. Dib had just been watching the fight in awe, but now he rushed over. He slid on his knees down to Tak's body. Gently lifting her head and cradling in his lap, Dib stared down at her. Tak tried to move, but Dib stopped her. "Don't," he said. Anything requiring muscle movement would make her loose blood faster. She was _going_ to die. Somewhere, in the back of his brain, Dib knew this. He was just having trouble facing it on such short notice.

Neither of them were in pain. They were just numb. You know, the feeling you get when bad news first hits you. When it feels like nothing around you is real, and you'll just wake up in a matter of time and everything will be all better again. Dib was unaware of the tears streaming face. Unsure if Tak could hear him, he whispered, "I love you." He could swear he saw her smile before her eyes went completely blank and she stopped breathing. Dib stroked her face lovingly, forgetting the scene around him. "Rest in peace, fucker," Zim snorted.

Dib looked up. _Zim did this_. Standing up, he paced over to Zim. His hands were by his sides, balled in to tiny fists as if he was going to beat Zim up then and there. However, he was in no mood to fight. "What the fuck's your problem?" Dib sobbed. "Oh, Dib-worm, you should know by now: if anyone threatens me or Gaz, they never leave here," Zim scoffed back.

That did it.

Dib picked Tak's bloodied sword off of the floor from where it lay. It felt good in his hands, like it had belonged there all along. Her death would not be in vain. She _would_ get her revenge, dead or alive. "Dib, the last person who used that weapon against me met a nasty end," Zim motioned to Tak's corpse. "Do you really want to end up like that?"

"Dib, don't," Gaz said. "Don't you even dare."

"_You can shut the fuck up_!" Dib roared at her. _'Did he really just say that? To me?'_ Gaz thought. This was a side of her brother she had never seen before. "I'll shut up when I want to," she retorted. Dib didn't show any sign that he heard her, though. "Zim...why? Why did you do it?" he asked weakly. "She did it to herself. All I did was defend myself," Zim replied. Dib pursed his lips tightly, his hands trembling. "It's not like she didn't deserve it," Zim continued. Dib then raised the sword and slashed it at Zim's neck, ripping the flesh easily.

What I'm going to say next will anger you greatly. But, I'll say it anyway, because life isn't fair: it was an instant kill.

"It's not like you didn't deserve it," Dib mocked. Gaz shoved Dib away, collapsing beside Zim's body. It killed Dib to see his sister in so much pain, but not as much as it hurt to see the only person he ever loved dead.

Gaz stared at Zim. His eyes were glazed over, still wide open in shock. It was sickening to see his throat torn open by such a deep gash. Everything around her seemed so big, now. Like she could never face it, even if she tried. Kind of like how she felt after Dad died. The thought made her cry even harder. Why did she have to loose two loved ones, her _only_ loved ones, so quickly? She barely heard Dib's cold "Goodbye," as he and Mimi left, taking Tak's carcass with them.

After a couple of minutes, GIR walked in to the room, wearing a worried look on his face. Normally, GIR annoyed the shit out of Gaz. Seeing his expression made her heart lurch, though. GIR was practically Zim's son. "What happened to Master?" he asked. How was she to explain it to him? He was just like a little kid. Gaz decided to be blunt about it, no matter how much it hurt.

"He's dead, GIR. He's dead."

* * *

_I killed Zimmy! Don't kill me! I didn't mean it, I swear! Okay, maybe I did. Really, I'm guilty of giving Tak such a horrid death. I only planned on killing Zim, but when I thought of how mad you all would be, I decided to give Tak a nasty demise to balance it out. She's like Kenny to the IZ fandom. (Dib: *in background* YOU BASTARDS, YOU KILLED TAK! Zim: Screw you guys, I'm goin' home.) Yeah. Next chapter is the finale! Review, unless you don't want a finale. _


	13. Chapter 13

_Wow...this is the end. I was hesistant to write this chapter so quickly, as I didn't want to say good-bye to my first fanfic! Well, read on, friend. Read on._

**_Disclaimer: _**_Zim, Dib, GIR, Gaz, Tak, Mimi, Senor Satan and any other character mentioned in this chapter belongs solely to Jhonen Vasquez._

**WARNING:**_ This chapter contains content that a religious fanatic may find offensive. (Zim and Tak and their adventures in Hell.) Read at your own risk._

* * *

GIR gazed at the crying girl like he had no clue what death was. Of course, he did know, because he lived with a genocidal psychopath. He just didn't believe that Zim was dead. "Master," he said playfully, poking Zim's cheek. "You're not dead! Make Gazzy stop crying." Gaz resisted the strong urge to smack GIR upside the head. "He IS dead, GIR. I watched Dib kill him," she sullenly declared. "Dib didn't kill him, silly! They're just playing a game!" GIR insisted.

"GIR. Look at him. He's not breathing. His throat is ripped wide open. He's not blinking. _He's dead_," Gaz snarled. GIR's expression saddened, as it was finally getting to him. "Why did Dib kill him? Was it an accident? Of course it was an accident! Dibby wouldn't-"

"It wasn't an accident," Gaz cut him off. "It was in cold blood." GIR's voice dropped to a whisper. "Why did he do that?" Gaz gulped, thinking that she should've known that question was coming. "Dib was...he got really mad at Zim...because he thought Zim killed Tak on purpose...it was an accident, though! And Zim just went...he went a little too far. He teased Dib to the point where Dib completely lost it and...and killed him," Gaz finished. GIR looked at her for a second longer before burying his face in her waist and crying. This wasn't "sniffle-sniffle, tear-tear" crying, it was real crying. The kind that leaves red splotches and trails all down your face, and makes your eyes puffy and red. In short, it makes you a butt-ugly sight to behold.

Gaz was shocked that GIR had just broke down crying in a seconds matter. Then she remembered: Zim was pretty much his father. She had loved Zim, so she couldn't leave his child all alone. It felt really weird, but she held GIR. "It's okay," she whispered. "NO IT'S NOT! I WANT MASTER BACK!" he screamed. "He's not coming back," Gaz said bitterly. He was all she had to remind her of Zim, and she was all GIR had. "Why don't we go watch Happy Tree Friends?" she asked in an attempt to cheer him up. "Yeah," he sobbed, rubbing at his eyes. She could tell he really was trying to be cheerful.

Forcing a broken smile, Gaz stood up and pulled GIR with her. "Gazzie?" he sniffled. "Will you hold my hand?" She was reluctant at first, but she reached down and grabbed his hand. "Let's go."

* * *

Let's turn our attention a few blocks down, where most of you don't want to go. We're going there, anyway, so don't complain. In the Membrane's back yard, Dib and Mimi stood, emotionless. Dib was busy digging a grave at the foot of a tree, trying his best to hold back tears. The cold autumn breeze ruffled his hair, blowing it in his face and slightly obscuring his vision. His arms were sore from digging so long, but he had to keep on going. For Tak. For Mimi. For him, so he could sleep at night knowing his love was safe.

That looked about good. Dib stood back, looking at the large hole. It was medium-sized and rectangular, just big enough to hold Tak. He looked over to where he had temporarily laid her down.

"Grab her feet, Mimi," he ordered, lifting Tak's shoulders off the ground. Mimi obeyed without a word, just a silent tear trailing down her cheek. Together they lowered Tak in to the grave as carefully as the could, laying down on their stomachs to ensure that they got her all the way down gently.

"So long and goodnight, my love," Dib whispered, his voice cracking. He then filled in the hole solemnly, finally letting the tears stream down his cheeks.

It wasn't that Dib couldn't afford a headstone, it's just that he flat-out couldn't buy one. No one on Earth knew that Tak had still existed, save for Dib, Zim, Gaz and GIR. If he went out and bought a headstone, or arranged a funeral, or anything like that for the little girl that had gone missing seven years ago, questions would pop up. Questions that Dib was too emotionally drained to answer. So, instead, Dib and Mimi gave her a quiet, private backyard burial.

Dib then walked up to the tree that Tak was buried under, pulling out his pocket knife and going to work. Carefully, he etched out exactly what he would have put on her tombstone:

_TAK_  
_MY FAVORITE POISON_

Dib stepped backwards, admiring his work. It wasn't much, but he felt like those words described her. From the minute you met her, she had a charm about her that made you wonder if you had died and gone to Heaven. Once she got under your skin, she became a demon, pulling your strings like a puppet. But from her acute face and tiny body, you couldn't help letting her harm you more, and you enjoyed it all the way.

"Are you ready to let her go?" Mimi's voice roused him out of his thoughts. Mimi was cold and straight to the point, just as Tak had trained her to be. But, Dib could tell she was fighting not to break down in tears too. "No," Dib replied shakily. "I'm not."

* * *

The Membrane siblings split apart after that. Dib lost his caring attitude around his sister. Gaz moved out of their house and in to Zim's, wanting to take care of GIR. She still had the PAK Zim had given her, and she wouldn't remove it for the world. It was one of the last reminders she had of her lover. GIR kind of became her son, in a weird way. Her psycho, hyper, waffle-loving son.

When Gaz went back home to pack up her stuff, she felt like a foreigner. Dib wasn't obsessing over the paranormal at all. He had a worn expression, looking like he hadn't slept or eaten in days. He probably hadn't. Working all day, Dib was like a zombie of her father. Fully devoted to work, but he did it reluctantly.

At first, when she walked through the door, Dib smiled. "You're back!" he exclaimed, standing up from his position on the couch and running over to her. "Now, to remove that hideous blemish on your back..." Gaz's hands flew to her back protectively. "Stay away, douche," she muttered. "I'm never coming home. I'm packing my things up and leaving. Forever. Don't try to stop me." She then pushed him out of the way, ascending the stairs to her room.

It felt like years since she had been in her room. The past month or two had been a whirlwind of death, despair and violence. The last time she had been in her room, Gaz was a hateful, spoiled, ill-tempered girl. She felt like she was seeing everything through someone else's eyes now. She had played gory video games, but what she had experienced made the video games look like My Little Pony.

Zim's spitfire personality that ultimately brought him death, the awful shriek that came from Tak, Mimi's ability to produce lethal weapons in a matter of seconds, and the pure hatred and hurt in Dib's eyes as Zim hit the floor, they all overloaded Gaz's brain. It scared her, to be honest. She wasn't one to be scared easily, either. You can't say you've seen the horrors of war from playing Call of Duty, or from watching news reports. You have to watch someone you love be brutally murdered.

Gaz sighed and looked around. Did she really want half of this junk? She pulled her suitcase out from under her bed and packed as much of her clothes as she could fit and her GameSlave. "This is enough," she decided out loud, zipping up her suitcase and descending the stairs. Dib took one look at her before turning back to his laptop. "Y-...you're sure you want to leave, Gaz?" he asked worriedly. "Positive," she muttered. Stopping in the door frame, she turned around to say one last thing, for extra measure. "It's not like you didn't deserve it."

She then returned to her new home, feeling like she was born there. This was the place she belonged. It was where she felt most comfortable. "I MADE _WAAAAAAFLES_!" GIR cheered from the kitchen. Gaz laughed a little at the hyper robot. Maybe, just maybe, this could be fun.

* * *

**IN THE BOWELS OF HELL...**

Zim opened his eyes to find himself in the oddest place imaginable. Everything was some shade of orange, red or black and on fire, but he felt no heat. Groaning and sitting up, he clutched his head. He was so _dizzy_! Once his vision had adjusted, he stood up and looked around. The only other person he saw was- _OH FUCKING SHIT, TAK!_ She was still unconscious, but she was just waking up.

Goddammit, he had to find a place to hide, and quick! They were in the middle of a large clearing, so he wouldn't be able to run away. So Zim just stood and waited for her to be fully awoken. Wait- why were they laying together? How did they get here? Where were Gaz and GIR? Suddenly, Zim was backhand slapped. Rubbing his cheek, he didn't even have to look to see who it was.

"You...you _ASS_! You _KILLED_ me!" Tak seethed. "Humph, well, your little boyfriend killed me," Zim retorted. "Dib was _not _my boyfriend," she denied, smacking him again. "Soo...umm...you think you can figure out where we are?" Zim asked. He was completely perplexed. "We're in Hell, dumb fuck," Tak replied.

"Hell? Zim queried. "Yeah, Hell. Where all the villains go when they die," Tak explained. "That would be correct, young lady," came an adult male voice from behind them. They turned around to see a demon, towering high over them. Already, both of them didn't like him just because he was taller. "I am Señor Satan," he introduced himself. "That's amazing," said Zim sarcastically. "And you're in Hell," Señor Satan continued. "We figured that out," Tak growled. "Well, ain't you guys friendly?" Satan said defensively.

"I'm gonna go now," Tak dismissed herself, walking away. "So...whaddya do in _Hell_?" Zim asked curiously. "Well, we're a fun bunch. You can pull any crazy stunt you want!"

"What happens if I die?"

"You don't die, you're already dead!" Satan said with a laugh. "Heyyy...I like you!" Zim complimented.

"Wanna go jump into a volcano?"

"I can do that?"

"Yeah!"

"LET'S GO!"

_**THE END!**_

* * *

_That's it! That's all you get! Hah! I'd like to thank everyone for reviewing so faithfully, reading every chapter, and just being fuckin' awesome! So, I'll tell you two things. No.1- a hobknocker is a man who slaps people's faces with his cock. Unsettling, I know. But you asked for it._

_No.2- Since I'm finished with this fic, I'm starting a new one. It's going to be called The Totally Futuristic Railroad. Basically, what happens is Zim mentions radium in a transmission to the Tallest. The Tallest think that it could be useful in weapons, so they come to conquer Earth to strip it of all it's radium. When they have all of the humans enslaved, Dib and Gaz think up the idea of recreating the underground railroad. The Tallests then arrange a brigade of Zim, Tak, Skoodge and Tenn to hunt them down. Now, I know you're thinking, "What the hell does this have to do with me?" Well, as you should recall from history class, the Underground railroad had "conductors" that brought others to safety. Of course, Dib and Gaz will be two of them, but I'd like your OC's to be in it too. As the reviewers of my first fic, I'm asking you first. So, if you'd like to be in it, send me some info about your OC (human or rebel irken, but irkens will be at higher risk of being caught) and I'll be sure to put them in there. It's first-come-first-serve, so if you don't send it to me for a month or so, you may not get in. _

_So long and goodnight, readers & reviwers! *bows*_


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